DIALOGUE
Good game dialogue does more than just convey quest information—it creates memorable characters that spark strong reactions in the player.
How do we do that? NPCs must use idiosyncratic language, evoke strong player responses through provocative questions and lines of inquiry, and give the sense that they have an agenda in the conversation outside the player’s goals.
Narrator Showcase
Game: Weird West
Character: The Narrator
“Town’s got a mean feel to it. Keg of gunpowder ready to blow. Best keep that trigger finger loose.”
Weird West was a AA game, which meant we had a limited voiceover and asset budget. We turned this limitation into a strength by creating The Narrator.
I wanted each Narrator line to highlight sensations—scent, touch, sound—to counteract the distance between player and avatar inherent in a game with a top-down camera.
We also wanted a voiceover artist with a gritty drawl who could give gravity to marquee moments. Happily, I think the team nailed it.
Bereaved Brother
Game: Weird West
Character: Essex Mast
“Ain’t no other world they head to. No eternal light. No—it’s dark. All the way down.”
Throughout Weird West, Essex Mast has always faced down the grim reality of the West with a wink and punchline. Here, though, I wanted to give him a moment of humanity, recalling the moment of his brother’s death—and how it’s shaped his obsession with eternal life.
Call Me Empress
Game: Weird West
Characters: Jennifer & Gary
“Don’t look her in the eye. She’ll magic you into a frog.”
In a game like Weird West, which often carries a dark tone, it felt important to undercut that seriousness at times by lightening the mood.
Though this quest deals with some serious stuff (spirit possession, dead folks, etc.), the quest givers are two bumbling children, allowing for a fun moment when the player, playing as a witch, can command the children to call her “empress”—or else.
